Spanish civil documents for USCIS — certified translation, done right.
Birth, marriage, divorce and death records from Spain, translated into English with the signed certification USCIS requires, by a translator who works in Spanish and Italian every day.
Which document to request in Spain
Civil-status records in Spain are issued by the Civil Registry (Registro Civil) under the Ministry of Justice; certificates are requested online at sede.mjusticia.gob.es, with or without Cl@ve, and the literal birth certificate is issued immediately where the entry is digitised. The documents most often needed for a U.S. immigration file, and what they are called:
Certificado literal de nacimiento
Certificado de matrimonio
Certificado de matrimonio con nota marginal de divorcio
Certificado de defunción
What USCIS requires
The rule is short and it is the same for every country. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3):
Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
Three consequences follow. The translation must be complete — every stamp, seal, marginal note and handwritten entry, not just the boxes with names and dates. It must be accompanied by the translator's signed certification of accuracy and competence; the regulation does not require the certification to be notarised, though notarisation is available when a court or consulate asks for it. And the underlying record is normally filed as a copy: 8 CFR 103.2(b)(4) refers to the form instructions, which ask for copies, and 8 CFR 103.2(b)(5) allows USCIS to request the original at any time, returning it after adjudication.
If a record does not exist or cannot be obtained, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(2) requires proof of that and secondary evidence — church or school records, then affidavits — which must themselves be translated.
Apostille: when you need one, and when you don't
Spain has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 25 September 1978; apostilles on civil-status records are issued by for civil-registry certificates, the Secretarios de Gobierno of the Tribunales Superiores de Justicia and the Ministry of Justice's designated units (also electronically). An apostille authenticates a public document for use in another Convention country — it is what an Italian or Spanish authority will ask for on a Spanish certificate, and what a U.S. record needs before it can be used in Spain. Nothing in 8 CFR 103.2(b) or in the USCIS form instructions asks for an apostille on a foreign civil record or on its translation: for a USCIS filing the certified translation is the requirement, and the apostille is an extra step to take only when another authority in the process requires it.
Spain: points that come up in practice
Spain issues three forms: the literal certificate, a full copy of the entry with all marginal notes; the extracto, a summary; and the plurilingüe, a multilingual extract under the 1976 Vienna Convention meant for use within Europe without a sworn translation. For USCIS the literal certificate with a certified English translation is the safest choice: the multilingual form's printed headings do not cover the free-text entries and annotations.
How the translation is delivered
Send a scan or photo of the document and say where it is going — USCIS, the National Visa Center, a consulate, a court, an Italian comune. A written quote covering scope, format, notarisation if needed and timeline returns within one business day. The translation follows the conventions USCIS and U.S. courts expect: the source document's layout preserved where possible, seal and signature locations marked, page numbering matched, any illegible portion clearly noted, and every name reproduced exactly as it appears in the source, accents and both surnames included (see the name in official documents). Delivery is a PDF of the translation with the signed certificate of accuracy; notarised originals are couriered where required. Rates are on the pricing page.
Questions clients ask
Do I need to send the original Spanish certificate?
No. A clear scan or photograph is enough to translate from, and USCIS form instructions ask for copies of supporting documents. USCIS may request the original later under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(5); keep it safe.
Does USCIS require an apostille?
No provision of 8 CFR 103.2(b) or of the form instructions asks for one. An apostille matters when the document is going to a consulate or foreign registry that requires authentication, or when a U.S. document is being used in Spain.
Can I translate it myself, or have a relative do it?
The regulation requires a translator's signed certification of completeness, accuracy and competence. A translation certified by an independent professional avoids any question about competence or interest in the outcome, and is what adjudicators are used to seeing.
What if the certificate has handwritten notes in the margin?
They are part of the record and are translated in full — marginal notes are where marriages, divorces, legitimations and corrections are recorded, and they are often the reason the document was requested.
Sources
Checked on 21 September 2026:
- Sede electrónica del Ministerio de Justicia — Certificado de nacimiento
- HCCH — Spain, competent authorities
- 8 CFR 103.2(b) — Legal Information Institute
Other countries
This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.
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